


The Unnamed Collection, vol. I

by DaimeryanRei



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23575378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaimeryanRei/pseuds/DaimeryanRei
Summary: A collection of drabbles/short fics.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	The Unnamed Collection, vol. I

Title: The Unnamed Collection, Vol. I.  
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters  
Pairings: mostly Puzzleship, please check individual fic for pairings/characters  
Genre: mostly slice-of-life, general, a little romance, please check individual fic for genre  
Warnings: none in particular, please check individual fic for warnings  
Summary: please check individual fic for summary  
Author’s note: This is my very first fanfic since a long hiatus due to my mother’s passing. Since then, I was unable to write because of the immense grief. Writing in itself had lost all its meaning to me; which was shocking, as writing was always there for me, helped me cope with life, with stressful situations… and suddenly there was just nothing anymore. Now, more than two years later, I’m very slowly starting to regain my interest, motivation and inspiration. I’m sure that’ll reflect in my writing, for which I apologize. I do my best. The short fics in this collection were written during my hiatus, encouraged by my writing partner Dillian, taken from a now defunct writing prompts Tumblr.

Key: ----- = scene change

Characters: Yuugi, Jounouchi

Summary: Jounouchi visits Yuugi as usual.

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“Ugh, I hate autumn.” Jounouchi shivers as he takes off his coat. “It’s too darn cold and wet for me.”

“It hasn’t rained that much, Jounouchi-kun.” Yuugi takes the coat from his friend, hanging it alongside his own jacket. “Actually, it’s been very mild weather for this time of the year.”

Jounouchi grins. “Always the optimist, right, Yuugi?”

“Let’s go upstairs so I can make you some hot tea,” he answers, returning the grin. Jounouchi follows his best friend to the kitchen, knowing the layout of the house by heart. He’s been here so often that he knows his way around perfectly and nothing has changed in the last two decades, giving the house an outdated, yet familiar atmosphere.

Yuugi prepares the tea, working fast and silently. It’s an unspoken tradition that Jounouchi visits him every Friday evening; as the only two single people remaining from their group of friends, they search each other out more often than the others, occupied with family life and obligations. The friendship still exists, as strong as ever, though the dynamics have changed; Anzu is married and has twins, Honda has young kids too, Otogi divides his time between Japan and the USA, Bakura has moved to Egypt… that’s how life goes, and Yuugi never expected everything (or everyone) to stay the same.

Life goes on, even if Jounouchi has the feeling that it’s somehow… slowing down for Yuugi. Ever since his grandfather passed away and his mother after a short, but fatal illness, he hasn’t changed anything around the house. Sugoroku’s favourite chair still stands in the living room next to the large window, with an afghan draped over the armrest. The fine china of his mother takes a prominent place in the kitchen, despite showing wear and tear. Yuugi’s bedroom’s still in the attic; he never considered changing his bedroom for a moment. In their late thirties, holding jobs, a home, and dealing with the daily grind of life, both Jounouchi and Yuugi simply exist, as best friends, as comrades, and they know each other better than anyone else.

“He’s been gone for quite a while now, hasn’t he?” Jounouchi suddenly says. Yuugi doesn’t waver, not for even a second, while he pours the scorching hot water on the carefully selected tea leaves.

“Twenty-one years and two hundred sixty days,” he answers without skipping a beat. “Yeah, you could call that ‘quite a while’.” He opens a kitchen cabinet and retrieves a bag of _senbei_ , depositing a generous amount into a bowl. 

“Do you never…”

“Never.” Yuugi smiles as he offers the bowl to him. “Eat up, Jounouchi-kun.”

He pets his flat stomach. “I have to be careful, I’m not eighteen anymore.” His metabolism hasn’t slowed down though and his raging appetite has been a running joke for ages, though it has gotten stale. Yuugi cradles the steaming mug to his own chest, enjoying the warmth. Blowing at the hot liquid, he remains silent. 

“It would be awesome to see him again.” Jounouchi sips his tea. It’s not his intention to hurt or grief Yuugi. They have spoken about this a million times before, always using the same words and always reaching the same conclusion. 

“I know.” Yuugi’s voice is a little different, wistful, longing. Nobody asks him why he’s single, why he never married, why there’s no one important in his life. No one can fill the shoes of a certain Pharaoh, and Jounouchi isn’t sure whether to pity his friend or to tell him to move on, to start looking for that special someone, someone else… but why bother searching for someone, when you’ve already met and loved the other half of your soul, sharing a bond with such intimacy and intensity that no one else can ever come close to?

“You’re not unhappy, are you?” Jounouchi asks, out of concern. Yuugi pauses for a moment, frowning as he searches for the right words.

“I’m not unhappy,” he answers, after a long while. “I have many friends, I have a nice job, I’m in good health, I don’t feel lonely… but I don’t like being alone. There’s only one person I want to share my life with, and he’s far, far out of reach.”

“Yeah, bummer.” That’s an understatement, yet Yuugi chuckles, albeit dryly.

“Let’s not spoil the evening by talking about things that never will happen,” he says. “Why don’t we go to the living room? I’ve got some nice action movies cued up, or we can play a game... your choice.”

Jounouchi agrees. “Action movies, sounds like a good plan to me.” A small wave of melancholy hits him as he leaves the kitchen, though. Yuugi doesn’t realize that by growing older, he’s resembling Atem more and more. His childlike, round-shaped face has become smaller and more pronounced, his eyes have narrowed over the years and he has stopped slouching, walking perfectly straight up and with a natural confidence. It’s a bit of a painful moment, as Jounouchi misses his friend also dearly, and not seeing him ever again is a huge burden to bear. He doesn’t want to taint this evening with depressive thoughts. He still hates autumn, though.

It is Atem’s favorite season.

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End file.
